A report shows that YouTube will charge for its specialist video channels. The move will help finance a wider range of content such as television shows and films, and will serve as another source of revenue, according to Financial Times.
The report on the Financial Times said this could help YouTube compete with other online outlets like Netflix and Hulu, as well as major networks like CBS.
“The move, which has been in the works for months, could be announced as early as this week. It will apply to as many as 50 YouTube channels, people familiar with the plan say. Viewers will be able to subscribe to each channel for as little as $1.99 a month,” it said.
“YouTube has moved away from its early days as a destination for user-generated content to professionally produced video that would not look out of place on television. In the past 18 months it has spent more than $200m on advances to dozens of start-up channels,” it added.
The FT report said YouTube’s subscription channels may compete with streaming service Netflix, which has more than 30 million subscribers, and Hulu.
Though it has denied knowledge of announcing anything, rumours that YouTube will monetize its premium content have circulated for some time. In January, AdAge reported that the site asked a small group of channels to apply to be among those paid. a separate article on The Atlantic Wire noted Google had already been floating the idea “for months if not years now.”
